Tag Archives: Princess Mary

Monaco Royal Wedding: Scandinavian Royals

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It’s not often that a monarch marries so it was no surprise that the religious ceremony of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock on July 2, 2011 included lots of royal guests.

We start our tour of royal hats worn to this wedding with the last bride to marry a reigning monarch- Queen Silvia, who wore a wide brimmed parasisal straw picture hat in lilac pink. The design featured a crossover shape on the front of the crown, a gently sideswept brim and was simply trimmed with a double looped straw bow on the side. With her silk jacquard cloqué dress in the same colour, the hat topped a very coordinated look.

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Designer: unknown

Crown Princess Victoria’s aqua calot hat was clearly designed to match her silk chiffon embellished dress with the same curved iridescent paillettes on the dress’ sleeves completely covering the hat. It’s a very textural look in a colour that’s great for Victoria but that was let down by her limply styled hair. Victoria was in her first trimester of pregnancy with Princess Estelle at the time of this wedding, making me wonder if she was feeling her best or if the heat of the day simply got the best of her. It’s a fussier look than we usually see on Victoria, which makes me like it for her, and I wish we could see it worn again with a more successful hairstyle.

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Escada.

Princess Madeleine paired her almond silk dress with a large silk rose headpiece in a similar hue, with tall curving pheasant feather. As far as fascinators go, this one makes a statement… although the curve and height of that feather always felt a bit random to me.

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Dolce & Gabbana

Princess Mette-Marit also chose a monochrome look in a pale, neutral pink with a crescent headpiece of layered hand cut lace that circled around the back of her head. The multiple layers of lace created a wonderfully dimensional piece that contrasted against the smooth lines and asymmetrical neckline of her dress and beautifully framed her face. I usually am a stickler for impeccable finishes on royal millinery but the the slightly raw lace on this design gave it an edgy, rough beauty.

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Valentino.

Princess Mary wore one of my favourite looks at this wedding with a finely woven, wheat-hued straw saucer hat studded with tiny diamanté, trimmed with large ecru silk roses and flying coque feathers. While a neutral colour, the hat was anything but boring thanks to its dramatic shape and bold trim, elements that enabled it to stand up as the perfect counterpoint for Mary’s Mediterranean blue silk dress. With neutral shoes and a fun, patterned turquoise purse, this ensemble was perfectly styled and firmly got my vote for best dressed guest at this wedding. Nine years on, it’s still one of my favourites.

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Designer: Jane Taylor. Dress by Prada. 

Princess Marie went with a more monochrome approach, topping her pale peach silk wrap dress with a brimmed hat in the same shade. The hat’s brim was gently turned up around the front the hat was completed a spray of straw leaves in darker and lighter shades sweeping over the side.

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Rikke Gudnitz.

There’s no shortage of interesting milliner here- we’ve got colour, sparkle and drama! I’ve already tipped my hand as to my favourite, dearest readers but I’m curious- which looks here stand out most to you?

Jump to this post for an index of other royal hats that appeared at this wedding. 

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Hats From the Past: Christening of Princess Isabella

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Thirteen years ago today, Princess Isabella of Denmark was christened in an intimate service held in the chapel of Fredensborg Palace, the Danish royal family’s summer home.

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Crown Princess Mary topped a dusky pink Birgit Hallstein dress with the same cream silk flower bandeau headpiece by Malene Birger she had worn for Prince Christian’s baptism in 2006 (and she would later repeat for the christening of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine in 2011).

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Larger than a bandeau, the headpiece’s scale gives it enough presence to stand on its own without obscuring a view of the baby and the floral motif gives is a delicacy and charm that feels very right for the occasion. The colour is so wonderful against Princess Mary’s hair and easily pairs with different ensembles, although this dress fell flat for me. In this ensemble, I think the headpiece was one of the most successful elements.

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Queen Margrethe wore her recognizable pink and green ensemble with patterned floral silk dress and wide brimmed vibrant green straw picture hat, trimmed with pink straw loops. Ever the romantic, Prince Henrik tied in his ensemble with a pink shirt.

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Princess Benedikte topped her pink coat with the loveliest ecru straw brimmed hat (how elegant are the lines on the brim’s  cartwheel shape) trimmed with a pink spray of silk flowers on the side. Her daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, wore a bandeau headpiece of deep purple flowers.  Carina Axelsson topped her pink dress with a pale almond straw brimmed hat with gently sidesweeping brim, trimmed with an ecru wide hatband and side ruffled bow. Queen Anne-Marie of Greece wore a wheat coloured straw hat with upturned, rimmed kettle brim and a textural, woven hatband.

Princess Isabella’s godmothers included Queen Mathilde and Prince Frederik’s first cousin, Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark. Mathilde topped her lace coat with a matching wide padded bandeau headpiece, covered in the same lace and trimmed with a multi-looped black silk side bow. Princess Alexia wore a cream bandeau headpiece with spray of goose biot feathers on the side.

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Royal guests included Crown Princess Victoria who wore a bandeau headpiece with textured fabric base, trimmed with applique flowers and a pair of feather quills. Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore her gold Prada headband with blush silk bow on one side.

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Princess Mary’s stepmother, Susan Donaldson, wore a deep eggplant silk floral fascinator with dotted tulle bow.

Looking back, this event is a noticeably more informal and intimate affair than Prince Christian’s baptism was, just 18 months earlier.  The palate is so light and summery, although today’s current popularity of bandeau style headpieces makes me surprised to see so many here, 13 years ago! Perhaps these royal ladies were just ahead of fashion?!

What do you think of these royal hat looks? Which ones stand out most to you?

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Photos from Getty as indicated; Polfoto

Hats From the Past: Christening of Danish Twins

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Nine years ago this week, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary brought their young twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, to Holmens Church in Copenhagen to be baptised.

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Crown Princess Mary repeated the cream silk flower bandeau headpiece by Malene Birger she had worn for Prince Christian’s christening in 2006 and Princess Isabella’s in 2007.

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The delicate headpiece is a great option for an event like this, beautifully framing Princess Mary’s face while allowing for a full view of the baby. It’s a flattering and wearable piece that works so well against her dark hair and adds a lovely amount of softness to the overall ensemble, tying in so well with these exquisite antique christening gowns.  The styling here is also impeccable with great colour contrast between the headpiece and Mary’s saturated blue dress (it works so much better than the competing patterns it was paired with on its first outing) and a few statement jewelry pieces that add that bit of regal ‘wow’ to the elegantly streamlined ensemble.

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Princess Isabella looked charming in a pink hairbow to match her silk dress, tied to the braid on the side of her head.

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Queen Margrethe wore a brimless design covered in the same vibrant blue weave as her coat. The hat is trimmed with a wide stripe of plaited velvet ribbon and braid that wraps over the hat and a pair of feather spines circled with in curled goose biot feathers.

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Princess Marie topped her pale greige wool coat with a straw beret-based percher hat in the same colour from British brand Whiteley. The hat is trimmed with a triple looped straw curl.

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Princess Benedkite topped her mint coat with a warm toast brown hat of sewn braid with Breton style upturned brim. The hat is trimmed in a wide mint petersham ribbon hatband that ties in a bow at the back, topped with a slim coppery brown ribbon. Queen Anne-Marie wore a navy straw classically-shaped pillbox hat trimmed with a small navy velvet bow at the front.

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Princess Tatiana of Greece topped her navy ensemble with a blue feather headpiece, formed in the shape of a lotus flower. The hat is surrounded by burnt feathers and a striped quill with gentle curl in the center completes it. Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Princess Benedikte’s eldest son, who is one of Prince Vincent’s godparents) attended with his parnter, Carina Axelsson, who wore a pink floral headpiece tucked into her chignon.

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Prince Charles and Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies attended the event (Prince Charles is one of Princess Josephine’s godparents). Camilla wore a characteristically flamboyant ensemble topped with a watermelon pink straw pyramid hat bound in a wide stripe of burgundy velvet and topped with a mass of deep pink feathers.

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Princess Mary’s stepmother Susan Donaldson wore a sculpted wire flower headpiece and her sister Patricia wore a calot headpiece of embellished grey feathers.

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How do these milliner designs hold up, nearly a decade later? What looks here stand out most to you?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Danish Crown Princess Opens Hospital

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Crown Princess Mary was in Viborg yesterday to tour and officially open a new emergency centre at within the Regional Hospital there. For this event, she wore a deep plum textured bandeau headpiece.

The colour is beautiful on Princess Mary and the piece is elevated from being a basic headband thanks to its molded shape and textured fabric overlay. The Scandinavian princesses aren’t frequent hat wearers, generally, but the current popularity of bandeau headpieces have seen several, such as this, atop royal heads. And more millinery is always a good thing!

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Regionshospitalet Viborgs nye akutafdeling med skadestue, lægevagt og traumestuer, sengeafsnit, operationsstuer og skopirum blev i dag indviet af H.K.H. Kronprinsessen. Hendes Kongelige Højhed forestod den officielle indvielse af akutcenteret ved symbolsk at klippe et rødt bånd, der var opsat i den nye forhal. Efterfølgende fik Kronprinsessen en rundvisning i de nye rammer. Her overværende Kronprinsessen blandt andet en øvelse, hvor en figurant spillede en patient, der havde været ude for en ulykke. Patienten ankom til behandling i akutcentret, hvor et traumeteam tog imod og begyndte behandlingen, mens Kronprinsessen så på. Det nye akutcenter på Regionshospitalet Viborg er største delprojekt i det omfattende kvalitetsfondsbyggeri til i alt 1,16 milliarder kroner. Akutcenteret rummer blandt andet ny akutafdeling. Her vil alle akutte patienter fremover få en behandlingsplan inden for fire timer; uanset om de kommer selv, med ambulance eller på sigt lander på hospitalets tag i lægehelikopter.

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Designer: Jane Taylor. It is the Metallic Sequin Headband from AW 2019
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

What do you think of Crown Princess Mary’s new bandeau? Look through a gallery of additional photos of this event here.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Imperial Enthronement: Foreign Royal Guests

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Tuesday’s enthronement ceremony was attended by a number of royal events adorned in either national costume or traditional century court dress, giving the wonderfully formal gown-and-hat combination we don’t often see.

Queen Máxima donned a familiar slate blue gown in transparent silk brocade printed with large roses  but paired it with a different hat than we’ve seen with it before- her grey silk floral and dotted net tulle statement headpiece. The scale and bold design of the headpiece pairs wonderfully with the gown, elevating the sense of drama and gravitas of the overall ensemble.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Gown by Natan.
Previously Worn: Nov 4, 2014; November 19, 2005

Queen Mathilde was wonderfully elegant in a an exquisite gown, cape and pillbox trio in pale pink silk crepe. The clean, sleek lines of each piece make them balance perfectly together and create a serene and quietly regal look. It’s a fashion philosophy we often see used with the Imperial royal ladies- perhaps the inspiration or influence for this ensemble?

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Designer: unknown. Gown by Armani Prive. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new. It is not the same as the felt calot worn February 6, 2014 as some blogs are reporting. 

Queen Letizia paired her bright, floral gown with a divided bandeau headpiece in pale, dusky pink silk. The scale is great on her and the solid colour is a great choice against her patterned dress, although I thought the bandeau’s construction, with many visible stitches, wasn’t quite up to snuff.

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Designer: Nana Golmar. It is a bespoke silk version of the velvet “Iria Headband“. Gown by Matilde Cano.
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

Crown Princess Mary’s muted lilac-grey caped dress was brightened with mulberry purple straw hat. The modified saucer  is worn at a steep incline and trimmed with two huge silk flowers on the underside of the raised brim, the one at the front in mixed shades of purple. Supremely elegant on its own, I think this gown is again, elevated with the statement hat – not to mention those rubies!

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Designer: Jane Taylor. Gown by Valentino
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Crown Princess Victoria wore a straw saucer hat in the same deep inky purple shade as her gown. The piece, also designed to sit at a sharply tilted angle on the head, is lavishly trimmed with silk roses and straw twists beneath the raised brim, a touch that gives such textural contrast to the opposite, very smooth upper side of the saucer.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Gown by Escada.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Seated next to Crown Princess Victoria was a face new to Royal Hats, Swazi King Mswati III’s newest wife, Inkhosikati LaMashwama. She topped her white suit with a vibrant blue straw hat with disc base trimmed with rolled straw rosettes and large bow loops, blue tulle, purple cut feathers and pearls, scattered over the base.

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I know some readers have been waiting days to discuss the hats in this post (my apologies for the delay) so I turn it over to you- what millinery looks here were your favourites?

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Photos from Getty as indicated